Page 4, 30th April 2004
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Downside poised to accept girl pupils
BY CHRISTINA FARRELL
THE ALMA MATER of Auberon Waugh, and the school which welcomed the suspended Brixton schoolboy Ryan Bell, has announced plans to become fully co-educational.
Downside, one of the country’s leading boys’ independent Catholic schools will admit girls within the next academic year.
The Benedictine school, near Bath, has prided itself on being at the forefront of Catholic education in this country. It was founded in 1606 and to date has remained resolutely male apart from a brief dalliance with co-education more than 20 years ago. Then, day girls were briefly admitted to the sixth form. At that stage it was not felt necessary, or appropriate, to extend the facility and the school reverted to boys-only.
The school caters for nine to 18-year-old day boys and boarders with entrance at nine, 11, 13 and 15. Girls will be admitted at all stages.
Headmaster Leo MaidlowDavis was reported as saying that fewer monastic vocations and a desire to better prepare pupils for the outside world had prompted the move. Most pastoral care at Downside is now handled by the laity and Downside’s feeder schools are predominantly co-educational.
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